Thai bomb mastermind fled before attack: Cops

BANGKOK: The suspected mastermind of Thailand’s deadliest bomb attack fled the country on the eve of the blast at a Hindu shrine last month and others wanted by police are most likely overseas, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Under police interrogation, one of two foreigners in detention admitted to delivering a rucksack to the bomber at Bangkok’s main railway station on the evening of the Aug. 17 attack, two police sources said. Police believe the bomber is the yellow-shirted man still at large and caught by surveillance camera placing a backpack at the Erawan Shrine moments before the explosion that killed 20 people and wounded 130.

“The suspect insisted he didn’t know what was in the bag,” one of the sources involved in the investigation said.

The man being questioned, according to another police source, talked of a lead role played by a man named “Izan”, who had fled via Bangkok’s main airport a day before the attack. He had assigned responsibilities during a meeting of those involved. “From the testimony we found that Izan is likely to be the mastermind but has already left,” he said, without specifying his nationality or destination.

“It is likely others we’ve issued arrest warrants for have already fled.”

The three police sources declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak to media.

The details, which have yet to be confirmed, would mark rare progress in a case which the authorities have been criticised for handling haphazardly. — Reuters